Spatio-Temporal Plasticity in Chromatin Assembly & Transcription Control within Living Cells

Recent evidence suggests that the spatio-temporal organization of gene position and its interaction with the transcription apparatus within the crowded 3D architecture of the cell nucleus is vital to orchestrating gene regulation, yet the biophysical basis of this assembly is unclear. Using live-cell imaging combined with fluorescence spectroscopy and biomechanics experiments; we probe the dynamic nature of transcription compartments within living cells and the underlying transitions in chromatin organization during cellular differentiation. Our studies reveal an intimate coupling between chromatin plasticity and transcription compartment dynamics in the regulation of gene function.